Burn it
by Willow Kidd
Summary: The story of a siblings spread apart across the vastness of space finally finding each other again and the many adventures they go on together as they get to know each other, themselves, and how to become a family. That is if they can.
1. Chapter 1

Theodore Montissay, King of Ashingcandor, walked down the marble floored corridor. His shoes made loud steps that echoed across the lonely empty darkness. But in the ring of light made by the candle he carried, Theo smiled. He was home.

He stopped outside a large closed door and took a few seconds to bask in the warm fuzzy feeling. This was his favorite room in the whole palace; and inside he would find his daughter. He pushed open the door and walked in.

Silence greeted him home from his trip.

Abysmal and Shelley were sitting by the fireplace reading. Theo just smiled and walked over to the row of shelves and picked out a book. He held the data-padd, but his attention was on the girls.

Abyss held up a book for Shell to see, "What's that one?" she demanded loudly.

Shell quickly found a stopping point in her paragraph and looked at the page she was being shown. With a soft sigh she read, "Wookie." Even the slave seemed to realize it was a sad day when the Princess could not read.

Abyss just giggled happily at the picture, "They're hairy," and then she was on to a new page.

Theo walked over and ruffled at his daughter's hair a bit, "Hey, Abyss, I missed you."

The Princess pulled away as if his hand burned, "Don't touch me you disgusting bastard!"

Theo slowly shook his head, "Father… father… call me father"

Abyss smiled wickedly. "Bastard," and she pushed the book away with her pretty boot, and moved on to finish a drawing she'd started earlier. Nothing could hold the girl's interest for too long.

But Theo had come prepared for this; "I got you something while I was away"

"Not more stupid books…"

"No… not more books. I got you a nina-cat. He's waiting downstairs for you to go get him."

No more need be said; the girl was already off running to claim her new prize. Theodore just nodded his greeting to Shell, and walked over to his chair. His smile grew as he looked at the ugly beast that had seen way too many years. The only thing that held the blasted piece of furniture together seemed to be spite. It wasn't that he particularly cared for the chair, but it was the mere fact that Sierra hated it. He was glad to see it was still there.

He reached his hand out and lightly fingered the fraying material, "Hello, old girl. I missed you. Did she treat you well?"

Shell carefully put the book down to address the King so he would not be talking to inanimate objects anymore, "The Queen had it sprayed again."

Theo turned to her still smiling, "I know… I can smell it. She does hate my chair, doesn't she?"

Shell, baffled by his delight only stared at him unable to come up with a response. But Theo needed no answer; he knew his wife despised the thing.

"Abyss still refusing to read?" he asked just to keep the conversation going.

Shell nodded slowly, "Yes, sir. But I read to her whatever she may be interested in at the moment." For some reason the slave almost felt obliged to defend the princess.

Theo just let his smile fall, "She is lucky to have a friend like you."

Shell decided not to tell him she does not consider herself to be a 'friend' of Abyss'.

Just as the silence was about to become unbearable, Abyss loudly opened the door, drawing both people to look at her, grateful for the distraction. The princess, pompous as ever, led in a slave that was holding a small cage. The slave set the cage down where the young girl indicated and opened the tiny door to let the very regal white, nina-cat strut out. Everyone paused to watch such a noble creature move about the room.

He walked right past Abyss, only casually glanced at Shell, and then headed straight to the King upon his throne of bad taste. The cat sniffed at the chair for a moment and looked at Theo's hand, which was now wiggling about so, in a way that cats only find to be a pathetic attempt at play from people. The cat hesitated no longer. He simply turned his face from the king and then proceeded to urinate upon the side of the royal recliner. Then he simply turned up his nose, scratched the floor with his hind legs and then walked over to the fireside and made his place beside the Princess.

By now Abyss was madly giggling, rolling about on the floor in delight. Shell's eyes only looked upon the King in great sympathy. Theo groaned loudly, rubbed at the bridge of his nose and pushed himself to go past this moment, "So Abysmal, what will you call him?"

Abyss simply shrugged. Theo sighed; she was done with his gift already. He merely turned his attention now to his book. Shell watched as Abyss made sure Theo was not looking and then began to stroke the cat's back to make him purr. Shell made a quick prayer that this would make the girl behave for at least a little while and went back to her own reading.

The silence lasted a very short while. Before Theo had even reached the first scrolling point, a sickening snap echoed through the room, followed by a child's giggle.

"I'll call him Dead," the Princess declared with little feeling, and then she went back to coloring.

Shell gasped in shock at the sight of death, and stood so suddenly, her book fell to the floor. She slowly walked backward away shaking her head in disbelief. Abyss had never done anything _this_ bad.

Theo, himself, took a long time to process what had just happened. He stared, unable to pull his eyes from the sight of the motionless animal, and Abyss' seemingly unfeeling form, as she hummed and worked her tongue between her lips as she concentrated on her colors.

He stood, forcing his mind to follow his angry stance, "Abysmal Jean Montissay!" he hoped he sounded as stern as he intended. "What have you done?"

"I killed it," she answered, almost smugly. And almost as an after thought, she used her foot to push the body farther away from herself, much as she had done with the book earlier.

Theo shook his head. She had not only killed a pet just then, but she had killed, right along with him, any doubts Theo had had about there being something wrong with the future queen. Theo looked over to Shell who was sitting in the corner crying for the cat. This had to end tonight. He was going to have a talk with his wife whether she wanted to see him or not.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but the Queen has specifically asked to not allow you into her quarters."

Theo nodded an acknowledgement to the servant and then grabbed the man and shoved him aside, "I know…" and he threw the doors open and walked inside.

The guard looked about, not sure what to do next, so he simply closed the doors again and went back to his post.

Sierra was sitting in her bed eating a rather large bowl of something that had a smell strong enough to turn Theo's stomach (or maybe he was still disgusted from the sight of murder) either way… he didn't care.

The Queen rolled her eyes at the sight of him, trying to look imposing. With a simple wave of her hand, the bowl and the half-dressed man that had brought it to her were gone. "Theo… this had better be good."

"It is Abysmal. She has done something inexcusable this time. There is no looking over this one, Sierra… you have got to do something with your daughter. She is getting out of hand!"

Appearing more annoyed than anything else she reached for her crown and put it on before she sat up to answer, "Oh Theodore, calm down… you'll work yourself into a fit again."

"Sierra, you're not listening to me! She's killed this time."

The Queen's attention is captured now, "Killed? Who? Her slave?"

Theo can not believe he is hearing right… "What? How can you even think she would kill a person? Sierra, she killed the nina-cat. Right there. With her hands."

The Queen's brain began to turn to find a way to save her daughter from punishment. "No. No she didn't. It was an accident. You know how she is. She gets rough. If you'd gotten her one sooner, she'd have known to be careful."

Theo shook his head wildly, "No Sierra… no… you're not doing this again. You do this every single time! She is not getting out of this one. We saw her, we both did."

Sierra turned her ice blue eyes to him, "Who? Who else was there?"

Theo let out a low sigh. What had he done? He had sealed the girl's fate with a simple word. Oh why did he have to bring her up? "No one, Sierra. It was only I."

"No. Tell me, you petty man, or I shall find a way to get rid of that chair yet." She stood, crossing the room to face him down.

"No chair is worth a human life."

"What slave are you protecting?" With a harsh shove she suddenly darted past him and off to the library where she found the scene exactly as Theo had left it. Sierra stepped over Abyss, whom was happily coloring, and then crossed the room over to the corner where the slave was crying.

Sierra grabbed Shell up and shook her violently, "You child, what have you done this night?"

Abyss had sat up by now to watch her mother's work and instantly knew what was afoot. She closed her eyes to call up tears and began to wail loudly. She pointed her chubby finger at Shell and moaned horribly, "She killed my kitty!"

Shell felt her eyes widen in disbelief as she watched "her friend" turn on her. She felt cold fingers grab at her neck and she forced herself to look at Sierra as the Queen began to choke the life from her body. Shell grabbed at the angry hands and tried to pry them free, and then it happened. Their eyes met, and Sierra suddenly stopped her angry attacks. She let go of Shell's throat and softly wiped at the girl's wet cheeks, "Oh poor child…. What happened to make you turn so violent?"

Shell was speechless as she struggled to regain her breath. Had the Queen finally lost it? Why the sudden change of heart?

Theo was but a step away from attacking his wife, when he stopped to stare in amazement. Sierra pulled the slave into her arms and she held her face so she could study her more fully.

Sierra actually smiled gently, "You are rather pretty you know."

Abyss too seemed surprised, but that quickly jumped to anger, "Mama!"

Sierra blinked, and realized her place once more. She released her hold on Shell and let her fall to the floor where gravity took her. Sierra stood over the cowering slave. , "You retched, vile creature. You have turned upon the masters who assured your safekeeping. You have bitten the hand that fed you. Well no more. This," she pointed to the dead cat, "is the last straw. You are gone." She walked over to the door and yelled down the hall for a guard to come quickly.

In rushed the fully armed man from his place outside the door, and he stood ready to kill at his Queen's command. Sierra then simply pointed to Shell, "Take this girl away, and lock her in the dungeons. And send someone up to fetch this creature. Make her eat it for dinner. See to it personally that she eats every bite."

The guard hesitated when he saw the tiny girl cowering on the floor, but he had to at least make a show for Sierra. He grabbed her arm roughly and lifting her to her feet, took her out.

Theo finally blinked himself back to reality and snapped. He grabbed Sierra and spun her to face him, "That is it… you have gone too far…. Shell did not do it, and you will set her free. The blame will fall where it belongs this time."

Sierra nodded grimly in answer, "Oh yes… the blame will fall where it belongs. Make no mistake about that." She pulled from him as a woman came in to collect the body. Sierra cleared her throat to get the slave's attention. "And later, won't you find someone to drag this chair outside and burn it?"

Theo shook his head, "No. Leave the chair."

"No," Sierra glared back at Theo, "burn it…"

The King stubbornly returned the glare, "No. This is my chair, and you will do no such thing"

"I will do as I please. This is my house, and the chair goes."

"Damn it woman, you have taken my name, you have taken my dignity, but you are not going to take my chair!"

Sierra let the smug grin sit on her face for a few seconds as she enjoyed Theo's rage, "No. The chair reeks of urine. It will be burned."

Theo could literally feel his soul sinking down farther inside his body. He nodded his concede. He answered without looking at anyone, "Burn it…"


	2. Story Time

That night Theodore did something he had not done in years. He gathered all his will, pulled his indignant anger in closer to his determination and he knocked meekly on his wife's bedroom door.

Sierra looked up at the subtle sound and sighed. There is only one person she knew who could make a knock sound scared. "Come in, Theodore."

The door slowly creaked open and the head of curly black hair poked in. "Sierra," the King began shakily, "I need to speak to you."

Sierra sent Christopher away and beckoned for her husband to come closer.

Theodore nodded a polite dismissal to the family doctor as he made his way quietly out. Chris closed the door behind himself and only then did Theodore turn back to face his wife.

"Sierra, what the hell was that display about earlier?"

The Queen was taken aback for a moment by The King's new found passion, as well as his boldness to share it. "Are you really that upset about your chair?" She stood as she spoke and walked towards him, intrigued by the fact he'd stood up to her.

Theo watched. Temporarily distracted by her lusts, he watched the sway of her hips and the sultry stare she bathed him in. He shook his head and cleared his throat to find his voice again, "We both know this isn't about the chair! You sent an innocent girl to die."

"The slave? She's not going to die. I have better plans for her."

"Shell is innocent, and you know that."

Sierra walked around her Theo, her hand tracing along his shoulders as she slowly circled him. He had been away so long, fulfilling his role as ambassador that she had almost forgotten how attractive he actually was. He was cute; in a pathetic sort of way.

Theo tried to keep his eyes locked on his Queen's face, to show her how angry he was, but he had a hard time keeping up the expression, when she was so clearly trying to seduce him.

"Sierra, I want to talk to you." He gently grasped her wrists and slid her hands off his neck. He held her shoulders loosely to force her face him dead on, "Why did you spare Shell's life? I know you, Sierra. I know how you think. The girl is dangerous to you if she's left alive. It wasn't a wise move on your part, but you would know that, which means you have some reason to keep her around. What is it?"

Sierra stepped back a step, pulling her shoulders free from his grip, "I don't like this line of questioning. And I don't intend to share the answers with you. I do, though, invite you to share my bed for the evening."

Theodore could hardly contain his sneer of distaste. Any desire he may have been entertaining was gone now, "Sierra. I married you to please my father, and stop a war between our worlds. Nothing more. I have no intentions of sharing anything with you, other than my name, and our parentage of Abyss. I fulfill my legal responsibilities as King, and I do every petty job you assign to me. I am passive, and respectful. I am the perfect husband. I don't want anything from you but the truth, my personal space, and my damned dignity. Can you not grant me those simple requests?"

Sierra allowed a moment or so of contemplation to pass and then she exploded in laughter. "Theodore. You are the bane of my existence. If I did not need you to keep my crown, you would be dead. I owe you nothing. Get out."

Theo let out a sad sigh as he realized he was going to get no useful information from his wife tonight. He turned without another word and left her alone in her chamber. He looked at the young guard posted at her bedroom door. He was young and strong. A handsome man that Theo had no trouble imagining would, in only a few minutes time, take up the invitation he himself had just turned down. It is highly unlikely the young man would pass it up. Most wouldn't.

But still, Theo was at a loss. Why leave the slave alive? It made no sense. If Sierra truly intended to pass off this rouse of blaming the pet's death on Shell, why keep her alive and able to contest? It would be dangerous. Sierra was not sloppy. Something had stopped her heavy hand, but what? Theo had to know. The only problem was Theo rarely saw, or spoke to his wife outside of public displays and appearances. In short, he did not know her. But who was she close to?

Naturally Abysmal comes to mind. Sierra adored their daughter. The two of them shared a bond that Theodore never was quite able to duplicate. But The Princess would never divulge anything to him, well, anything. The only other companion she keeps on hand is the doctor. Doctor Casador, of course! If anyone would be able to delve into the inner working of Sierra's thoughts, it would him.

Shelley et, stood on the cot, in her drafty, smelly, cold cell in the lowest levels of the dungeon. She gripped tightly onto the bars in the window high up on the wall above her head, and yanked despite knowing the futility of the act. Shelley, although a slave, was not a stupid girl. She knew she was not going to receive a light sentence. She knew it was very likely she was going to die. But above all that, Shelley was afraid.

Theo pushed open the door into Doctor Casador's office, "Chris? You in?"

Christopher pushed back from his desk and gestured for Theo to enter as he stood slowly from his seat, "Come in, Sire, please… what can I do for you this evening? It's getting late isn't it?"

Theo nodded slowly, "Yeah… sorry. I just … I had a question. I think you're the only one that might be able to help me answer it."

Chris nodded smiling, "Anything, Sir."

Theo studied the man. He stared into the doctor's deep inviting brown eyes. They were huge, and reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

"Sir?"

Theo blinked. Chris's words snapped him back to attention, "Oh! Right… I wanted to talk to you about Sierra."

Christopher, a man old enough to be Theo's father took in a shaky breath, and wiped the back of his hand across his brow. "Yes Sir… I can try and help, as best I can. What about her exactly?"

"That's just it… I'm not sure. There's this little girl named Shell, and she andChristopher paced a step or two, "Close, sir? I wouldn't say we're close, as much as we spend time together occasionally."

"Don't deny it Chris. I know she asks for you company a lot. She likes you. And I know she'd never admit it, but I think you're her friend."

"She forced me, sir!"

Theo let this announcement hang in the air for as long as he could. When, finally, the moment broke, he could think of only one thing to say. "What?"

"She threatened my wife!"

"Chris!" Theo grabbed the doctor and shook him, "Look at me! You're not making any sense! Stop. Slow down. Think. Start at the beginning. What the hell are you talking about?"

Chris stared at his King and nodded. "I'm trying, Sir! I'm ashamed to say this, but I had an intimate relationship with your wife."

Theo quietly sat down. Next thing he knew, Chris was doing the same.

Chris brought his soulful brown eyes, back upwards, to stare into Theo's blue. "She forced me."

"To have sex with her?"

"Yes, sir. It seems somehow my devotion to my wife presented as a challenge for her. The fact she could not bed me, only made her want all the more to do so. I can think of little other reason she'd want old me."  
Theo stared at the man not sure what to say, so he nodded and listened.


	3. Chapter 3

"Let me try and start at the beginning, Sir. The Queen sought after me to begin a sexual relationship. I resisted for a very long time, but then she threatened my family. My wife had recently learned she was pregnant, I couldn't let anything happen to her or my family. She must have seen me as a challenge, because she even killed my apprentice until I relented. I gave in, and began a relationship with her."

"Chris, you were far from the first..."

"I gave myself to her, but since the chase was gone, she soon grew bored with me. It ended not long after it began. It was several weeks later, that she sent me away on a medical conference. I took it as good sign. Things were returning to normal. When I had returned home, I found all seven of my children-"

"You have seven children?"

"Had, Sir. I had seven children. All of them, along with my wife, and her unborn child, were killed. That night, your wife came to me, claiming responsibility. She was angry, and punishing me."

"Angry?"

"I got her pregnant."

"What happened to the child?"

"Sierra carried the child to term, despite her best attempts to coerce me into helping her abort it. But that was my last child, my only offspring that remained. The unborn child was all I had in this universe. Sierra went to her vacation home by the shore, when she grew too large to hide her pregnancy. There she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Sierra then handed the child over to me, and asked me to destroy her. I could not bring myself to harm the child, so instead I took her and placed her in the care of an old friend. There she was raised, as a slave. Hidden safely in plain sight."

"Shell. It was Shelley, wasn't it?"

"Very good, Theo, you've figured it out. Do you feel better now, having solved the mystery? And Chris, very clever of you."

Theo turned to face his wife and silently walked over to her side, and slapped her, as hard as he could. Theodore stood there, silently fuming, breathing deeply in and out, sucking in lung fulls of his new found freedom. Then Sierra responded by dragging her nails down the side of his face. She turned, and walked out to leave the two men to their conversation."

Christopher, walked over to the King, to investigate the wounds that are sure to scar, "Gods, I hate that Bitch." Immediately after saying those words, the doctor's eyes widen in the shock of what he'd said. But Theo instantly made it better.

"Yeah. Me too."

* * *

Shell, in her hours alone in the dark of what was to be her last home. Her last home until she was to die. She had time to think, and had decided that she would face her death strong. To not allow the executor the pleasure of seeing her break. So, upon hearing the heavy turn of the key on the door at the end of the hall clang open, she stood. When the door to her cell was opened, she was surprised to find the Queen. Shelley steeled herself against the accusations about to be cast upon her. She had never seen the Queen up close before today, and was forced to admit that despite her cold soul, was actually very pretty.

Sierra smiled down at the girl's defiance. The Queen stood for several minutes, before saying anything. It was the eyes. She knew those eyes. They were the doctor's eyes. Sierra knew it was true. The girl with the brown wavy brown hair, and big brown eyes was the doctor's daughter. She was her daughter. That was her own defiant gaze in the little girl's eyes. But this girl - her daughter – was a danger. A danger to the life she had orchestrated for herself, for Abyss. Her heir. But on the same note, she could not actually bring herself to end the life of her first born. She was Shell's mother.

"Shell, I am here to spare your life."

The girl blinked up at the Queen surprised, but quickly pushed down the emotion. Sierra thought to herself that the Shell would have made an excellent Queen one day … if only circumstances had been different. Sierra forced her smile away. "Shell, instead of death, you will suffer a fate far worse. By the end of your natural life, you will have learned to wish you had been given the mercy of death. I sentence you to a life of solitude., and hard labor. You will be given absolutely no contact with the royal family ever again."

The girl stood firm, which only made Sierra more determined to break her. And she knew, just the two men to do it for her. "I will fetch The Teachers"

This snapped Shelley. Unable to bite back her fear any longer, she stepped away from the woman until she had her back pressed against the far wall, tears poured down her face, and she was sobbing so hard, she was no longer able to take in a breath.


End file.
